Another Name for Red: A Novel

The weekend before powwow, all those between the ages of fifteen and thirty hold a bonfire to drink and have a good time. A year earlier, Older Sister and Middle Sister were attending together, but they had different ideas about how to spend the evening. Older Sister left early. That was the last time anyone saw her, and Middle Sister blames herself. This book attempts to put a face on the victims and family of Indigenous people who disappear at a staggering rate. The author sets the stage by opening with an encounter Middle Sister has with an older man who goes by John Smith and lives next to the reservation. His reputation precedes him as a strange, creepy person who kills dogs and hangs them on a tree. One day, he shows up at the hardware store where Middle Sister works and tries to engage her, making inappropriate comments as his eyes roam her body. The incident is disturbing, but Middle Sister knows that it need not be a stranger who poses harm. She has to run a mental threat assessment every time a male offers her a ride, even those whom she knows. Every male is a suspect. Every male is a threat. While the loss of Older Sister and the possibility of another abduction are threads that run through the plot, the narrative is otherwise a summary of daily life told by Middle Sister one year after Older Sister’s disappearance. The two younger children—Prim and Bobo—have made progress by now, and Middle Sister played a role in this. It appears that the oldest, which she now is, has a supporting role in rearing siblings. Prim is a darling character, and Bobo is a typical young boy and wonderful brother to Prim. The father is described as a quiet and thoughtful man who has been a good parent. He now struggles to overcome his grief, suffering silently and never leaving the home. We don’t know to what measure he sees failure on his part in Older Sister’s disappearance, but surely that is in play. It seems salient to a story such as this considering the general protectiveness fathers have for their daughters and would have been a moving storyline. The mother finds purpose in running a grassroots campaign to raise awareness about the number of missing and abducted Indigenous persons. Her immersion in this bothers Middle Sister who often yells at her and says she needs to learn to be a mother. This view seems unfair since Middle Sister carries her guilt as a heavy anchor that affects her mood and her interactions with others, As narrator, readers have a front row seat to this. The loss of a family member is difficult to work through and requires patience and support from others, which Oldest Friend tried to provide. Middle Sister eventually pushes her away. Then, after a cruel breakup with her boyfriend and no contact for a year, on a whim Middle Sister stops by his store for consolation. He is surprised she doesn’t realize how badly she hurt him and expects him to ignore what happened between them. He comments that he lost both parents but didn’t use his grief as an excuse to mistreat others. Oldest Friend finally says what they have been thinking: that she has been treating everyone terribly for too long and drains the life out of those around her. It sounds like harsh feedback, but Middle Sister is drawn that way, and sympathy for her as a character does not easily flow. Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and to NetGalley for providing this ARC.